Final Exam Review
8th Grade US History Final Exam Review
I. First Americans (beginnings - 1500) (pp. 13 – 33)
1. The very first immigrants to the Americas were Asian hunters.
2. Thousands of years ago, what did hunters cross between Siberia and Alaska? a land bridge
3. Early cultures were present in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans
4. Where did the early civilizations of the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Inca develop? Mexico and Central and South America
5. The rulers of what country encouraged the conquistadors to explore the Americas? Spain
II. European Explorations and Settlement (1400 - 1750) (pp. 46 – 58)
6. The Portuguese wanted to explore the world because they needed new trade routes.
7. Columbus sailed to the Americas under the flag of Spain (country).
8. Which sailors were the first to circumnavigate the world? Ferdinand Magellan’s crew.
9. Which was an essential part of the economy of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies? Slave labor
10. After the arrival of Europeans, many Native Americans died because of disease.
III. Colonial Era- The English Colonies in the Americas (1605 - 1774) (pp. 67 – 124)
11. Who was married to Pocahontas? John Smith
12. Puritans were Protestants who wanted to separate from Anglican church.
13. What agreement stopped settlers from moving farther west? Proclamation of 1763
14. The only group of colonists who had the right to vote were white male property owners.
15. Debtors and poor people could make a fresh start in the colony of Georgia.
IV. The American Revolution (1774 - 1783) (pp. 162 – 187)
16. America’s first constitution was called the Articles of Confederation.
17. How did Patriots feel about British rule? They were dissatisfied.
18. The United States declared its independence from England in what year? 1776
19. The sharing of power between federal and state governments is called Federalism
20. Information used to influence opinion is called propaganda.
V. The Constitution- Forming a Government (1777- 1791) (pp. 217 – 228)
21. Where did the Constitutional Convention and the signing of the Declaration of Independence take place? In Independence Hall
22. What is the highest judicial authority in the United States? Supreme Court
23. Freedom of speech, press, and religion are liberties.
24. The capital of the United States is Washington D.C.
25. The Judiciary Act of 1789 established what kind of legal system? Federal court system
26. What law made it illegal to criticize the government? Sedition Act
27. What are the first 10 amendments that were added to the Constitution? Bill of Rights
VII. The New Republic (1800 - 1855) (pp. 255 – 269)
28. March 4, 1817, was the inaugural date of the Republican president James Monroe
29. The balance between the North and the South was preserved by the North-South Compromise.
30. What statement (doctrine) stopped the colonization of the Americas by Europeans? Monroe Doctrine
VIII. The Nation Expands (1790 - 1860) (pp. 306 – 426)
31. What compromise preserved the balance over the issue of slavery between the North and the South? Missouri Compromise
32. The official boundary between the United States and Canada was set by the Rush-Bagot Treaty
33. The Louisiana Purchase affected the United States by doubling its size
34. What made the United States a transcontinental power in 1819? Adams-Onis Treaty
35. The federal government paid Native Americans to move West as a result of the 1830 Indian Removal Act
36. What was the name of the pioneer trail that began in Missouri and crossed the Great Plains into the Oregon country? Oregon Trail
37. Which country did Texans struggle with to gain their independence? Mexico
38. Before the Civil War, the Southern economy relied mainly on cotton
39. What did many leaders of (social) reform movements want? Liberty and equality for some Americans
40. In the 1800s women lacked many of the rights that men had.
IX. The Nation Breaks Apart (1861 - 1877) (pp. 433 – 523)
41. Abraham Lincoln caused four states to join the Confederacy by emancipating the enslaved people.
42. The main goal of the North at the beginning of the war was to end slavery.
43. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation
44. The period of rebuilding the South after the Civil War was called Reconstruction
45. President Abraham Lincoln was shot at the Ford’s Theater
46. African Americans were granted full citizenships by the Thirteenth Amendment
47. Northerners who moved South and supported the Republicans were called scalawags.
X. The Industrial Revolution in America (1850 - 1914) (pp. 556 – 572)
48. What form of transportation was important in American economic growth just after the Civil War? railroads
49. Which metal set off a mining rush in 1859? gold
50. Job conditions in factories in the late 1800s included noisy, unsafe environments
I. First Americans (beginnings - 1500) (pp. 13 – 33)
1. The very first immigrants to the Americas were Asian hunters.
2. Thousands of years ago, what did hunters cross between Siberia and Alaska? a land bridge
3. Early cultures were present in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans
4. Where did the early civilizations of the Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Inca develop? Mexico and Central and South America
5. The rulers of what country encouraged the conquistadors to explore the Americas? Spain
II. European Explorations and Settlement (1400 - 1750) (pp. 46 – 58)
6. The Portuguese wanted to explore the world because they needed new trade routes.
7. Columbus sailed to the Americas under the flag of Spain (country).
8. Which sailors were the first to circumnavigate the world? Ferdinand Magellan’s crew.
9. Which was an essential part of the economy of the Spanish and Portuguese colonies? Slave labor
10. After the arrival of Europeans, many Native Americans died because of disease.
III. Colonial Era- The English Colonies in the Americas (1605 - 1774) (pp. 67 – 124)
11. Who was married to Pocahontas? John Smith
12. Puritans were Protestants who wanted to separate from Anglican church.
13. What agreement stopped settlers from moving farther west? Proclamation of 1763
14. The only group of colonists who had the right to vote were white male property owners.
15. Debtors and poor people could make a fresh start in the colony of Georgia.
IV. The American Revolution (1774 - 1783) (pp. 162 – 187)
16. America’s first constitution was called the Articles of Confederation.
17. How did Patriots feel about British rule? They were dissatisfied.
18. The United States declared its independence from England in what year? 1776
19. The sharing of power between federal and state governments is called Federalism
20. Information used to influence opinion is called propaganda.
V. The Constitution- Forming a Government (1777- 1791) (pp. 217 – 228)
21. Where did the Constitutional Convention and the signing of the Declaration of Independence take place? In Independence Hall
22. What is the highest judicial authority in the United States? Supreme Court
23. Freedom of speech, press, and religion are liberties.
24. The capital of the United States is Washington D.C.
25. The Judiciary Act of 1789 established what kind of legal system? Federal court system
26. What law made it illegal to criticize the government? Sedition Act
27. What are the first 10 amendments that were added to the Constitution? Bill of Rights
VII. The New Republic (1800 - 1855) (pp. 255 – 269)
28. March 4, 1817, was the inaugural date of the Republican president James Monroe
29. The balance between the North and the South was preserved by the North-South Compromise.
30. What statement (doctrine) stopped the colonization of the Americas by Europeans? Monroe Doctrine
VIII. The Nation Expands (1790 - 1860) (pp. 306 – 426)
31. What compromise preserved the balance over the issue of slavery between the North and the South? Missouri Compromise
32. The official boundary between the United States and Canada was set by the Rush-Bagot Treaty
33. The Louisiana Purchase affected the United States by doubling its size
34. What made the United States a transcontinental power in 1819? Adams-Onis Treaty
35. The federal government paid Native Americans to move West as a result of the 1830 Indian Removal Act
36. What was the name of the pioneer trail that began in Missouri and crossed the Great Plains into the Oregon country? Oregon Trail
37. Which country did Texans struggle with to gain their independence? Mexico
38. Before the Civil War, the Southern economy relied mainly on cotton
39. What did many leaders of (social) reform movements want? Liberty and equality for some Americans
40. In the 1800s women lacked many of the rights that men had.
IX. The Nation Breaks Apart (1861 - 1877) (pp. 433 – 523)
41. Abraham Lincoln caused four states to join the Confederacy by emancipating the enslaved people.
42. The main goal of the North at the beginning of the war was to end slavery.
43. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation
44. The period of rebuilding the South after the Civil War was called Reconstruction
45. President Abraham Lincoln was shot at the Ford’s Theater
46. African Americans were granted full citizenships by the Thirteenth Amendment
47. Northerners who moved South and supported the Republicans were called scalawags.
X. The Industrial Revolution in America (1850 - 1914) (pp. 556 – 572)
48. What form of transportation was important in American economic growth just after the Civil War? railroads
49. Which metal set off a mining rush in 1859? gold
50. Job conditions in factories in the late 1800s included noisy, unsafe environments